


Funny Little Feeling

by megoettee



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Dealing with the Damage, F/M, Friends to Lovers, New Hawkins Hotspot, OC is On Her Own in Life, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Steve Harrington, Shock, Steve Harrington Deserves Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-07-10 14:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19906855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megoettee/pseuds/megoettee
Summary: The creature’s head opened, allowing her to see the rows upon rows of teeth as it stalked towards her.Frozen in place, barely a whisper of self-preservation left, she stared at what she thought could adequately be labeled as Death Incarnate. Narrowly missing Steve’s profane war cry as he leapt in front of her, she was soon gathered out the front door by a familiar voice, leaving a flame wielding Nancy Wheeler handing a medieval torture bat to Steve in her living room.





	1. Just Some Old Wiring

**Author's Note:**

> The timeline is only slightly altered for this story. It takes place during Season 2 after El’s return and before the gate is “supposedly” closed. The span of time between those points is elongated by a few weeks.
> 
> I just love Steve. He deserves the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revamped 9/13/19.

“When was the last time you saw him?”

Theresa wrung her hands together, eyes darting around her kitchen. Her chest felt tight and she couldn’t focus on any one thought, let alone answer a question as specific as the one Steve had just asked. 

“I...I don’t...he was just...and I left the door open for him and...Steve, I can’t find him. I can’t find him.”

She didn’t miss the sigh that filtered through the telephone but her mind was too jammed to react to it. 

“Tess. I need you to breathe, okay?”

“What am I going to do? He’s never...”

“Damn it,” she heard him mumble. “Tess? Hey. Listen to me. Can you hear me? What time is it?”

She briefly glanced at the clock on the wall. 

“Tessa? The time?”

“It’s 5:58.”

Her gaze darted back to the screen door, noting the colors in the sky dimming.

“Good,” he said, a loud rustling in the background. “And the date?”

She frowned at the phone. What kind of asinine...?

“The date, Tessa.”

“November 3, 1984.”

“Good. Now, I want you...”

“My dog is missing, Steve. The one thing I have left of my parents. Can you please stop dicking around and help me?”

She practically growled at his chuckle. 

“I’m on my way. But, first, I need you to do a few things.”

“Will these things...”

“Yes. Now, fill a bucket three quarters full with cold water and then gather all of the flashlights you have in the house. You’re also going to want to slice up that ham you have in your refrigerator. A small plateful should be okay. I’ll be there soon.”

Click.

Theresa was left staring at the receiver in confusion. What?

She hung up the phone and frowned at nothing in particular. 

She had only known Steve Harrington for a few short months. He was a bit of an odd duck but proved to be quite the loyal friend when she needed it.

He had sounded sincere when giving her the list? Maybe he knew something she didn’t. She trusted him. 

Mostly.

She was just starting in on the ham when she heard him at the front door.

“Hello? Tessa?”

“Back here!” she called, slicing through the meat again. 

He appeared in the doorway, a large paper bag in hand. Grinning at her, he moved to set it down on the counter and remove its contents. 

Sliced bread. Fancy mustard. And a block of cheese. 

“Can I borrow the knife real quick?” he asked.

Tessa stared at his outstretched hand then up at him. 

“Go to hell, Harrington,” she growled, angrily skewering the ham with the knife.

Tessa walked out of the kitchen, only to return a moment later, ready to breathe fire.

“You asshole. You absolute piece of shit,” she accused, spinning on her heel again to exit.

“Okay! Okay. So, it wasn’t the best way to go about it,” he admitted. 

“You insensitive fuck. Such an arrogant, infantile, egotistical...”

“Okay. Can we hold off on the name calling until after I explain?”

“You have 30 seconds. After that, you are dead to me.”

“Wow. Take no prisoners.”

“28 seconds.”

“Fuck. Okay.”

He ran a hand over his mop of perfectly coiffed hair and sighed.

“Look. I needed to distract you from yourself while I wasn’t able to talk you down. Giving you specific tasks that would span the 10 minutes it took to drive here accomplished that.”

Tessa didn’t say anything. Didn’t want to say anything. 

She knew the tactic. Wondered how he knew. 

She hated him for it. 

“I suppose the bucket of water is for...what? Wash your car free of fingerprints?”

He had the gall to look disappointed at the accusation. 

“You’ve got ants from the rotting pumpkin on your porch. Didn’t think you’d done anything about it yet so I figured I would.”

Her shoulders sank a little.

“...and the flashlights?” 

“Rolling blackouts scheduled so the energy plant can implement some new tech. Wanted to check the batteries.”

Silence pervaded. Moments passed before she let out an anguished hiccup.

“Steve. You horrible, horrible...why couldn’t you just tell me that? I can’t...Maverick.”

He quickly closed the gap, reaching for her shoulders.

“I know. We’ll find him.”

Tessa shook her head vehemently, stepping back from his touch. She barely felt sting of her nails digging into her palms as she tried to stifle the flood of emotion threatening to spill over. She couldn’t do this. She needed to get her shit together and stop standing around, crying about it.

Steve sighed and shoved his hands back into his pockets, watching her carefully.

“He’s a smart dog. If we don’t find him, he’ll find us. And I promise I will do ev...”

He tensed suddenly and shifted his position ever so slightly in front of her. Tessa frowned and moved to peek past him, only to find him staring at the flickering lights in the hallway. 

“Oh. That. It’s been doing it all week,” she said on a sigh. 

Gathering herself, she stepped back and huffed, moving to put away the food Steve had brought. 

“The electrician is supposed to come check it out sometime in the next few days.”

She ran a hand through her hair and glanced out the window above her kitchen sink. 

“Perils of buying an old house, I guess. But it was the only one available that no one questioned being purchased by an 18 year old. Probably helped that I had the full cash payment up front.”

When she looked up, however, Steve was still staring. 

”Steve.”

“What? Yeah,” he said absently. “Yeah.”

“Steve. It’s just some old wiring. It’ll be fixed within the week. There was a reason this house was so cheap.”

He pursed his lips.

“Did you say Maverick was acting odd the other day?”

“Uhhh...yeah? But what...”

“And it’s not like him to just run off, right?”

“No. He’s usually glued to my side when I’m here. Steve. What’s going on?”


	2. Mr. Cuddles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revamped 9/13/19.

“I’m not going anywhere. _Especially_ on the whim of someone I’ve known for less than a year. I don’t know how many times you want me to say it.”

She hadn’t understood anything that had happened in the last ten minutes.

“Tess, we need to leave. _Now_ ,” he said, continuing to move frantically about the upper level of the house. “Grab only what you need and let’s go.”

Tessa felt her ire rising as he pushed past to check the next room. 

“ **No** , Steve,” she ground out. “You’re obviously not hearing me. I’m. Not. Going. Anywhere. This is _my_ house, _my_ life and _my_ say. Mav is still out there. I can’t...I _won’t_ leave him.”

She did her best to keep her emotions under control but the past few hours had really started to take their toll. On top of losing her dog, she was now being bossed around by a boy with brown eyes and no tact. 

“ _What_ is happening? Steve Harrington, damn it. Stop your ridiculous fluttering and tell me what the fuck is going on.”

She didn’t know if it was the foot stomp of her tantrum or the words she threw at him but Steve finally faltered and looked back at her, wide eyed. 

Tessa wiped at her cheeks and sucked in a deep breath, glancing upward in order to gather herself. Her companion shoved a hand through his hair for the second time that evening, looking duly sheepish, and crossed the space between them. 

“Okay. I know this is a lot.”

She scoffed.

“But I have to ask you to trust me right now,” he said, almost pleading with her. 

“ _What_? Trust you with what? Since when are flickering lights a sign of life or death? Steve,” she chuckled almost deliriously. “I think you need to leave.”

“ _No_. Look. If I’m correct, you’re in serious danger and I don’t have time to explain until I get you to a safer place.”

“Steve.”  
“Tess.”

She stood there staring at the one person who’d been able to accept her without question since she moved to Hawkins. She stood there, wondering if there was a _reason_ behind his unhesitating acceptance, a reason she would soon learn.

“ _Can you trust me?_ ”

He surely hadn’t given her any reason not to. But they’d only known each other for a very short while.  Finally, Tessa laughed and shook her head.

“Steve. There’s no danger. This threat you seem to think is...”

“ _Do. You. Trust. Me?_ ”

He had grabbed her upper arms, making her insides squirm, but the look in his eyes was desperate. It held her captive--frozen--in search of... _something_. She had only ever seen that look once before, in her mother’s eyes.

“Yes,” she rasped out. “Lord knows why but... _yes_ , I do.”

His grip loosened and his eyes fell closed for a moment, his relief nearly tangible. He let go of her and stepped back, turning to the face the room again. 

“ _Great_.” 

His words were shaky but no less urgent.

“Now, I need you to pack a bag with whatever necessities and...”

A shrill bark filled the space and Tessa felt the breath leave her lungs. 

“Maverick!” she shouted, rushing towards the sound. 

“Tessa! _No_!” 

Steve called after her but she had already reached the stairs. Frantic to have her dog back in her arms, she all but flew down to the main level and called after him. 

“Maverick! Here, boy! Where are you?”

Another bark. But this one sounded...different. More anguished. Her heart pounded at double the speed her legs could travel. She made her way into the living room and called again. 

“Mav? Where are...”

The sight that met her held her frozen in place. Every function of her body ceased in that moment. The world seemingly slowed and moved without her while sound and light became muffled and distant, as if she were submerged and left suspended.

The creature invading her home (crouched over a lifeless form on the floor) lifted its head and turned to face her. 

Tessa couldn’t move. A spear of emotion ripped through her chest, an anguished gurgle of sound rising with it. 

She felt time slowly speeding back, pain and confusion taking over as everything regained focus at once. 

The creature’s head opened, allowing Tessa to see the rows upon rows of teeth as it stalked towards her. 

Frozen in place, barely a whisper of self-preservation left, she stared at what she thought could adequately be labeled as Death Incarnate. Narrowly missing Steve’s profane war cry as he leapt in front of her, she was soon gathered out the front door by a familiar voice, leaving a flame wielding Nancy Wheeler handing a medieval bat to Steve in her living room.

Jonathan’s gentle voice brought her back as he carefully clicked her seatbelt into place. 

“Hey, look at me,” he said. “I know this is a lot but I need to know if you’ve been hurt.”

Tessa frowned at the question, looking over his shoulder at the bright light streaming through the bay window. 

“Tessa. _Are you hurt?_ ” 

Her gaze returned to Jonathan’s face and she shook her head. 

“Mr. Cuddles...” she whispered. “Maverick needs his bear. He can’t go to sleep without...”

Before she could adequately release the vehicle’s hold on her, a shout grabbed both of their attention. They watched Steve and Nancy barrel out of the front door, motioning erratically towards the pair.

“We need to go!” 

Jonathan jolted from his kneeled position outside of the car and shut her door, rushing to the driver’s side as both Steve and Nancy piled into Steve’s beemer. 

They had barely made it out of the driveway before Tessa watched her house implode in a wall of flame and smoke, an uproar of other worldly squeals following suit. 


	3. Worst Form of Torture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revamped 9/14/19.

Steve wrapped his hands tightly around the otherwise untouched glass. He had been staring blankly at the amber liquid for over half an hour now with no indication anything would change soon. 

“She hasn’t said a word since we left,” Jonathan said. “Nance is trying her best but...”

Steve glanced up as his classmate approached. Jonathan took a seat in one of the armchairs across from him and Steve gave him a wry smile.

“I can’t ask anymore of her. Besides,” he said, draining the glass and setting it on the coffee table. “She’s the only one qualified to do it right now.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Both staring into the space in front of them. Both knowing they were in for so much more. 

Steve eventually let out a frustrated growl and stood up. Moving to the bay window overlooking the garden, he bit the corner of his mouth and glanced back at Jonathan in contemplation. He knew their friendship still wasn’t on the most solid ground but...

“How did yo...”

Nancy made her appearance, cutting him off at that moment and Steve inwardly sighed, diverting his attention to her update.

“She’s showered and in bed,” she said. “Not really any closer to getting any sleep but...it’s a start.”

“Thank you, Nancy,” Steve said.

He watched as she made her way over to Jonathan and tucked herself under his arm. A pang of jealousy had him looking back at the staircase before he offered a bedroom again, knowing they wouldn’t take it. 

“Hop’s back at their place,” she explained, indicating her boyfriend with a nod of her head. “He’s his usual antagonistic self but we’ve got to figure out what and why this happened. Hopefully, we can take some of the sting out of his approach tonight before...”

Steve pursed his lips in understanding. There was no avoiding _that_ conversation.

“It’s going to be a long night,” Nancy said after a moment, staring at him pointedly. “You’re going to have to be vigilant. And even more importantly... _patient_.” 

Nancy smiled wearily and moved to hug him before making her way outside to the car. Jonathan awkwardly followed but paused at the door, looking back at the former “king”.

Steve waited, recognizing the indecision in his pseudo-friend.

“Sometimes memories are the worst form of torture,” Jonathan finally said, glancing back at Nancy waiting for him by the car. “Just...just make sure she knows that she isn’t alone. I think _that’s_ the most important. Just be there.”

Steve nodded and smiled appreciatively.

“Call us if you need us. Otherwise, we’ll check-in in the morning before...everything.”

Steve nodded and followed Jonathan to the edge of the stoop, waiting until they pulled out of his driveway before turning back inside.

He moved to lock up on the bottom level eventually making his way upstairs to the guest bedroom. He paused at the doorway and was surprised to find her standing by the window, her arms folded and a deep crease marring her forehead. 

He bit his lip as he watched her. He would give anything to know what was going through her head. It would be so much easier if things were straight forward. If he knew exactly what she needed. 

“Tessa...” 

She startled, her gaze eventually finding his, but said nothing and turned back to the window.

Steve knew it wasn’t exactly an invitation but she also hadn’t given him an outright “no” and he took that as a good sign. 

“I don’t know how much Nancy told you...” he started, watching her carefully.

She didn’t respond. Verbally or physically.

“Okay,” he said, unsure how he should proceed. “Well, if you’re okay with it, I’ll just start from the beginning then?” 

The way he figured it, Steve knew she wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon and that answers and explanations were the next best thing he could give her. 

Steve made his way over to the armchair in the corner of the room and watched her for a moment, gauging, before launching into his story. 

“So, Dustin has us all calling them demo-dogs,” he said, frowning upon the realization of just how much there was to say. “My first time with them, I was almost eaten because we thought Dart was the only one.”

“Dart?”

Her voice was quiet and still shook but there was a strength behind the question that had Steve inwardly praising. 

“Yeah. The dipshit took a baby one home without knowing what it was and named it like no one was going to question a new species of pet at any point,” he told her, leaning back in the chair as he rolled his eyes. “They’re basically just younger... _demogorgons_? Jesus, there’s so much to explain.”

He shook his head, momentarily attempting to think things through. 

“Okay. I don’t suppose you play Dungeons and Dragons?” 

She had turned to face him, a brow raised ever so slightly. Her lips, previously pressed into a thin line, curved upward in an unbelieving smirk.

“Yeah. What I figured.”

It had taken him at least a few months to get just the name of the game right. How was he going to explain even the basics without overwhelming her?

“Fuck. Okay. _Demogorgons_. Right. I’m still not really sure _what_ exactly they are other than monstrosities not meant for this world but...”

A small amount of relief ran through him when she let out a small cackle before quickly covering her mouth afterwards. 

“Yeah,” Steve continued with a smile. “They’re essentially these homicidal flower monsters from the Upside Down.”

Steve could visibly see her expression grow even more blank.

“ _Jesus shit_...”

He ran a hand down his face and stared at the wall behind her, trying his best to figure how to explain. 

“I think Dustin left a copy of that manual here, maybe. You like to read, right?” 

“ _Steve_...”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s better if I have one of them try to explain tomorrow? Cause I’m obviously shit at this.”

Steve smiled innocuously, sighing as he rubbed at his eyes and tried to focus. 

“Will it...are we...?”

He immediately returned his attention at the sound of her voice, noting that she had moved from the window to the bed. Perched on its edge, she fiddled with the hem of the tshirt Nancy had her in, nervous energy teeming. 

“What? _Safe_? Of course. Top of the line home security system,” he said proudly. “Also, conveniently tied in to Hopper’s office. Who, by the way, knows _everything_.”

Theresa nodded and returned her gaze to the window. Steve watched, knowing the knowledge appeased but, ultimately, wasn’t enough. 

“If it’ll help, I’ll stay in the room next door instead of mine tonight,” he offered. 

He could see the debate all over her face. If he was honest...? It was a little startling to see her this vulnerable. 

Hell, just a few hours ago, she’d been cursing him, profusely, for simply wanting a sandwich.

She eventually sighed and shook her head.

“No. No, I’ll be okay,” she answered. “I’m used to being on my own.”

That last part was added much more quietly. He was sure she thought he hadn’t caught it and he wasn’t about to upset the balance between them. 

Not yet at least. 

“Sure, sure. I’ll just be down the hallway then,” he said, moving to stand from the armchair. “Try and get some sleep. We’ll sort everything out tomorrow. Hop will want to hear from you.”

She nodded and Steve let himself out of the room. 

_So much for being a long night, Nancy_ , he thought to himself, only half concerned his ex-girlfriend had been wrong.

He glanced back at the guest bedroom, at the light spilling into the hallway, and wondered for a moment how things would turn out. 

Would Theresa join their little ragtag team? Could she accept the new reality she’d unwittingly entered? Would she end up as another Nancy? 

Steve shook his head, the grip on his doorframe tightening. Their breakup was still fresh in his mind. Only a couple of weeks now. He had resolved to never be that man again.

So, when the light flickered for several moments from within her room, he didn’t hesitate to rush back. 

It made a loud pop and Steve was already in the doorway when she screamed and bowled him over trying to escape.


	4. Strength. Courage. Confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revamped 9/14/19.

Tess folded back the coverlet and quietly swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her feet still hadn’t had their chance to warm up, only pin pricks of feeling in her toes. 

She looked back and smiled softly at the boy splayed out on the other side of the bed. His hair fell where it wanted to; style be damned. Steve looked nothing like the unconcerned pretty boy hotshot the high school gossips had painted him to be. 

He’d honestly been **_nothing_** like the warnings she’d received. 

_“Go on. Say it. Get it out,” she huffed, gripping her ankle._

_Steve merely chuckled and shook his head, moving to where she sat on the moonlit bench._

_He motioned, silently asking permission, before taking her foot into his lap and gently running his fingers down the lower half of her calf, careful of the joint. She watched curiously as he continued his ministrations._

_“You don’t seem to have actually damaged anything. So, that’s good,” he told her, his grip still holding her ankle in place._

_Tessa pursed her lips in disagreement before she reached for his jaw, a purple shadow already forming._

_“I wish I could say the same for your face. Steve, I’m so sor...”_

_“Don’t sweat it. This mug has been through much worse. On several different occasions.”_

_“Steve...”_

_“Come on. I’ll help you over to the bed.”_

Her fingers carefully ghosted over the forming bruise that now marred his perfectly chiseled jawline. She had taken down the Hawkins Heartthrob with a singular screech and a misplaced elbow. If only her mother could see her now.

She would have to show him her surefire way of covering the bruising up before Monday.

Tessa turned herself back around, facing the full moon outside of his bedroom. Her eyes hurt from crying so much and her head throbbed from the sheer intensity of the past six hours. 

She wasn’t entirely convinced it hadn’t all been just some ludicrous dream. That she would wake up soon to Mav licking her fingers in an attempt to get the day started on _his_ schedule rather than hers. That the sound of the electrician ringing her doorbell would be what finally got her up. 

Somehow she knew it wouldn’t. 

_Tessa gripped Steve’s forearm, allowing him to support most of her weight as they shifted towards the bed._

_“Superficial sprain at worst,” Steve murmured._

_He helped her to pull back the covers and lower herself to the mattress, sending a questioning glance in his direction._

_“Basketball. Among...other things.”_

_Tessa nodded and sighed, chuckling to herself as she eyed the offending joint._

_“I can’t believe I reacted like that,” she said. “I nearly killed myself trying to get away and very nearly took you down with me.”_

_She didn’t miss the ripple of amusement that crossed his features but chose not to call him out on it._

_“You’ve had a long day?”_

_The smile in his voice had Tessa rolling her eyes. She had to admit, though, it was nice hearing it._

_Once she was settled, her back against the headboard, Steve moved around the room with less caution and more purpose. He removed all obstacles from the floor, returning clothes and blankets to their rightful places, and then made his way towards the door._

_“I’m ju...”_

_” **Wait**.”_

_Tessa fiddled with the hem of the quilt laid out in front of her, hyper focused on the single thread coming loose._

_“Please,” she begged. “I...I know it was just the lightbulb going out and that it’s silly for me to be so...so absurd. But...”_

_She glanced up only to be met with a soft smile. She knew he wasn’t the bad boy everyone made him out to be but...this side of him was still fairly new even to her._

_“So. When I first knew about everything,” he said, moving back towards the bed. “I turned practically every light in the house on 24/7 for a full week afterwards. My parents reamed me once we got the next electric bill.”_

_Tessa quietly laughed, knowing that if she were at her own house, the same would probably be happening._

_He smiled, looking to the door before returning his attention to her._

_“We need to get some ice on that ankle to take the swelling down. But that means I need to run to the kitchen real quick. Will you be okay for just a minute or two?”_

_Tessa’s gaze drifted to her propped foot and back to Steve, nodding and secretly praying he’d truly only be a moment._

She quietly stood from the bed, stifling a groan at the soreness in her ankle. Chancing one last glance at her knocked out companion, she made her way to the hallway and down the familiar set of stairs. 

She quietly hobbled into the kitchen, sliding her hand across the cold marble countertop. Only a split second of jealousy filled her tired heart. 

“ _Low profile, Theresa_ ,” she sighed, her fingers gliding over gilt knobs and hand carved wooden details. 

She hovered in front of the sink. The counter to ceiling windows provided a perfect hilltop view of Hawkins suburbia.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and mumbled to herself.

“You’ve got this. You aren’t that little girl anymore. You can handle anything. Even...even supernatural horror monsters.”

She forced the air out of her lungs and started to repeat the litany of words she’d memorized. 

_Strength. Courage. Confidence._

Opening her eyes, she stared out at the night, flashes of memories replaying in her head. She could handle this. She’d handled everything life had thrown at her so far.

Images flickered in her vision. 

Laughing in the backyard with her parents. An icecream cone melting so quickly that it oozed over her tiny hands. She laughed at the tickle of Maverick’s tongue as he licked the sticky sweetness clean.

_Strength. Courage. Confidence._

A sudden splatter of rain on the window had another memory surfacing. Her parents’ caskets being lowered into the ground as it poured around them. His hand on her shoulder as they stood under the umbrella, gripping with just enough force to subdue. Maverick quietly growling at her feet.

_Strength. Courage. Confidence._

Hysterical barking. A litany of curses. Sounds of pleading and an obsessive laughter. More barking.

_Strength. Cour..._

Tessa caught herself on a sob. She turned away from the window and sank against the cabinetry. 

“ _Maverick_...”

She closed her eyes as she rested her head on her knees. She remembered it turning to look at her. Remembered the pool of blood and _knowing_. Knowing she had lost a part of her.

“FUCK!” 


	5. Bet On You Anyday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revamped 9/14/19.

“ _FUCK_!”

Tessa’s head jerked at the sound, her tears momentarily abandoned. 

“ _Who put that there?_ ” 

Steve’s grumble filtered through the dark kitchen followed by a string of curses and veiled movement. Tessa hiccuped on a laugh and wiped at the tear stains on her cheeks. 

It was in that moment that she knew she would be okay. Her sanity may be called into question but...she would be okay.

“Tessa?”

“Over here,” she called back. 

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“Inspecting the cabinets. They’re much more sturdy than anticipated.”

“Tested them a few times myself. We really got our money’s worth.”

She smiled as he slid down next to her. 

“I’ve never met your parents but I’ve certainly been impressed. It takes a good set of eyes to find luxury that’s as hearty as this.”

“I’ll be sure to let Camille Harrington know that she has your approval.”

Moments slipped by as they sat there in a companionable silence.

“Do you regret it?”

She turned to look at him with a frown. 

“Regret what?” 

“ _This_ ,” he explained, gesturing to nothing in particular. “Being friends. Becoming a part of this. Knowing what...”

“ _Steve_...you can’t possibly think I blame you for this?”

“I mean, I’m not one to argue but...”

Tessa chuckled and patted his hand with her own.

“Not _everything_ is about you, Your Kingliness.”

“That’s not what I...”

“I know,” she comforted.

More silence. 

“You saw how I reacted to that... _thing_. I’m not at all proud of the way I just...shutdown. So, if we’re really going to play the blame game, let’s start looking at me here. I’m probably still alive only because of you.”

The thought was enough to rattle her. She pulled her hand back and began to pick at the threads of her tshirt. 

“Don’t say that,” he argued. “You would have kicked that monster’s slimy ass to the curb. We both know it.”

She chuckled alongside his humor and sighed, letting her knees drop to the floor as she stared at her toes. Part of her longed to feel the tickle of a tiny tongue against her feet.

“First night’s always the worst,” he said, breaking the silence once more. “It won’t be like this forever.”

“ _I know_ ,” she said, sighing. “Just shut up and let me wallow in my misery tonight, will you?”

He chuckled and took her hand in his, hoping she knew she could come to him without him needing to say it.

Tessa smirked at where their hands intertwined in her lap before letting her head fall to the side and rest on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, at peace for the first time that evening.

“Hmm,” she started. “Harrington _does_ have a heart. And, to think, I was beginning to believe the gossips...”

She could almost hear the eye roll in his exhale. 

“The day you give in to gossip will be the day horses grow horns,” he said, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. 

Tessa laughed, the warmth of his body easing her into a trance-like state.

“Better be careful the bets you’re willing to make, Harrington,” she countered. “A flower-dog hybrid burned down my house today.” 

If she had been anymore cognizant, this would have elicited more emotion. But, as it were, she barely felt Steve’s shift as he tucked her in his arms. 

“That would have been _Nancy_ , actually,” he told her. 

She felt almost weightless as he lifted her and began walking. Tessa hummed with contentment, curling further into him as the tendrils of sleep began to take over.

“And I’d bet on you anyday.”

—— The Following Morning

“You can’t _be_ here right now, Henderson,” Steve said, sighing as he guided the younger boy towards the front door. “You are the _least_ subtle person I know.”

“You do know there are at least seventeen ways this could have gone better, Steve. I’ve counted them.”

“Point proven,” Steve said, reaching for the doorknob. 

“It’ll be like combining our powers. I’m armed with the information and you can charm h...”

His voice grew muffled as Steve closed the door on him.

“Who was that?”

Steve looked up to the top of the staircase where Tessa stood, gazing quizzically down at him as she awaited an answer.

“ _Steve_!”

Muffled or not, Dustin knew how to cause a scene. 

“Steve, you little bitch! Let me in!”

The kid began to pound on the front door with a singular fist and Steve’s gaze grew darker with each thump. 

“You’re dangling on a precipice, Steve! You’ve clearly shown you care. Which, by the way, is in direct violation of ev...bmndheidj.”

Steve had thrown the door open and launched himself over the threshold, dragging Dustin down the steps in a headlock.

“Hey! Steve! Hey, that hurts!” 

“It better fucking hurt,” Steve growled as he dragged his protégé across the lawn to where his bike lay in the drive.

Dustin shoved himself out of Steve’s grasp and glared at his mentor. 

“What are you on? I was just trying to...”

Steve watched as Dustin’s gaze moved past him, recognition lighting his eyes. 

He risked a glance and inwardly groaned when he found her standing in the doorway watching their interaction. Steve turned back to his newest comrade and narrowed his eyes. 

“If you breathe one word of this, Henderson,” he growled. 

Dustin gestured his zipped lips around a shit-eating grin. 

“She’s at the Wheeler’s, my ass,” he cackled, picking up his ride. “Or, perhaps, in _this_ case, yours....”

It took long enough to compute that Dustin had a clear getaway by the time Steve’s anger caught up.

“You might not need my help after all, Harrington!” the boy called as he rode away. “But I’ll be at Will’s if you do!” 

“ _Jackass_ ,” he grumbled before making his way back up to his house.

“What was that about?” Tessa asked. 

“Nothing. Absolutely _nothing_.”

He followed her back into the house, still cursing every curse he knew of that put those brats in his path.

“Come on. Let’s get some breakfast. Hopper wants us down at the station as soon as you’re comfortable.”

Tessa nodded, looking back at the disappearing boy before she shut the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No. I don’t know that that’s Steve’s mother’s name. But she feels like a Camille to me. Creative license.
> 
> Sidenote: This fandom has an ungodly amount of Billy/Steve shippers. Like...every other story.


	6. Do You Have Any Proof?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revamped 9/14/19. This marks the end of the current revamps. The next chapter will maintain the storyline as it’s planned.

Tessa sat pensively, facing Hopper’s desk, as the group talked around her.

They were secluded in a back room of the Hawkins police station and it seemed, to her at least, that far too many people knew about this “secret” for it to really be anything that even resembled a secret. 

She had been told that there were, if she had counted correctly, six children and three teenagers (not including herself) with knowledge of the supernatural. That _alone_ should have had the news spread across town.

Then, amongst adults, there was the Hawkins Chief of Police, a conspiracy theorist moonlighting as a private eye and a single mother of, not one but, two children (both in the aforementioned party). The former manager of the local Radio Shack had also been roped into their circle by association which, if she was understanding correctly, ultimately led to his demise.

Then, there was the matter of the middle school science teacher. He may as well have been included in their company just based on the number of times as he’d been consulted on any matter of things: theoretical or physical.

So, right there, that was a good healthy _fourteen_ average Americans that knew about the situation. Or were, at least, involved.

On top of that, there were, she would guess, fifty or so scientists that were the _cause_ of the "outbreak” as well as the militia that had been brought in to cull it down. 

Tessa was honestly amazed the small town was still standing. 

“I don’t like saying ‘I told you so’ but...”

The Chief’s head popped up from where he held it in his hands at Joyce’s statement. 

“The hell you don’t!” he said almost growling. “It’s your favorite phrase!” 

“Well, then maybe you sho..”

“Okay!” Nancy interrupted, loudly clapping her hands together. “I think we all need to take a step back and calm down a little.”

“ _What’s our exit strategy?_ ” Tessa whispered as she leaned closer to Steve. 

“Uhh.....the door?” he responded, lifting a brow. 

She took a moment to stare at him, trying to gauge whether or not he was serious.

“Right. Remind me not to rely on you in a pinch.”

Their attention quickly shifted when Hopper’s voice rose again.

“And _you_!” he pointed angrily at Steve. 

Steve’s face would have been comical had it not been for the maniacal undertones to the Chief’s subsequent curses. 

“You can’t just go frolicking around town telling everyone everything. I mean... _shit_.”

Tessa watched the older man’s eyes bulge as he shoved his hands over his head.

“I didn’t tell her _everything_ ,” Steve mumbled beside her. 

“You shouldn’t have told her _anything_.”

“Now, wait, Hop,” came Joyce’s interference.

“ _No_!” 

Hop shoved his finger in the matriarch’s direction once more.

“What was I supposed to do, Hopper?” Steve asked. “Tell her the Chupacabra found its way up to Indiana and ate her dog instead of a goat?”

Tessa flinched. No one seemed to notice. 

“Or maybe the better option would have been to _lie_ and say _nothing actually happened_. That everything she saw and heard were just her imagination? Make her feel crazy. Was that what I should have done?”

“So, you clearly remember the fucking _government contracts_ we all signed. Taking aside the immense danger of the whole situation...”

Tessa followed his gaze as it moved from Joyce to the other two teenagers in the room before finally landing on Tessa. 

“How do we even know she’s...”

“That is _too far_ , Hop,” Steve stood up growling. 

“I am the Chief of Police!” he said, slamming his fists on the desk as he stood. “It is my _duty_ to take things too far if it protects my town!” 

“You don’t even know her!”

“Exactly! Do you?”

“Of course I do! How you think we...”

“What do you know about her?”

Tessa suddenly didn’t like the direction this was going. She wasn’t entirely sure when it happened but the atmosphere had shifted in the tiny office.

“ _Hop_ ,” Joyce intoned. 

“For fuck’s sake, Joyce,” he said, rolling his eyes heavenward. “Tell me, Steve. Just _what_ do you know about her?”

Steve’s incredulous gaze found hers in question. She shrugged and looked down at her hands, going over the arguments she’d use to defend herself.

“Well, for one,” he said, looking back to Hopper. “She’s 18. And an orphan.”

“Do you have any proof of that?”

Tessa’s head popped up, her gaze steady on the man behind the desk. He ignored her.

“ _What_?” Steve asked.

“You heard me.“

“Proof of what?”

“Her parents.”

“What kind of person learns someone’s an orphan and asks for _proof_?”

“Do you know their names? What do they look like? Do know where she lived before?”

Hopper’s gaze finally moved to connect with Tessa’s. 

“Do you know that Theresa Hughes is her real name? 

Cause I’ve checked. And she doesn’t exist. At least, not in the capacity that we know her here today.”


	7. Fundamentals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I’ve gone back through and performed a complete and thorough review of all previous chapters. 
> 
> I’ve adjusted for the continuity issues and I’ve taken out or revamped a lot of the “damsel dialogue” (don’t get me wrong; the trope is still there because it’s an indulgence of mine but she’s got more backbone now). 
> 
> There’s also a few plot points I shifted to coincide with things later on in the story. So, it might benefit you to go back and reread. But hey. That’s just my suggestion.
> 
> I’ll try to remember to come back and delete this note upon the upload of the next chapter to waylay any confusion but...I’m not promising anything.

“Get in the car.”

Steve’s less-than-friendly command fell on deaf ears. 

“Tess...”

She flinched but held strong, a vitriol of curses now streaming from the vehicle inching along beside her. 

It soon fell out of view, however. The crunch of gravel and leaves under the tires the only evidence it was still there at all. 

She pressed on, even once she heard the telltale thud of the car door closing and subsequent angry footsteps. 

“You at least owe _me_ an explanation. After everything I...”

She whirled around on him, a fiery fury latching itself to her words. 

“I owe you _**nothing**_ ,” she growled lowly, emotion gathering at the edges of her sight. “I didn’t _ask_ you to save me. That was your own choice.”

She turned away from him, clenching against herself in an attempt to control the intensity of what she was feeling.

“What in the actual fuck, Tessa? You really...?”

Silence soon enveloped the pair. She could hear his frustration behind her but didn’t dare turn around.

“Fine,” he started again. “ _Fine_. Okay. I _chose_ to save your ungrateful, ignorant ass...”

“Excuse me?”

It had taken her a spilt second to round off and come almost nose to nose with him. 

“You heard me,” he said, ignoring the nearly inhuman snarl he got in response. “If I hadn’t stepped in... _sure_.”

He moved back to throw his arms up in the air.

“You _might_ have been able to save yourself.”

“I’d still have my house, too,” she grumbled. 

“Don’t count your chickens. Either way, you sure as hell wouldn’t have come out of it in one piece. And _that_...” he said, pointing an index finger at her while his other hand rested on his hip. “That would have left you vulnerable in the line of whatever the fuck it is you’re running from.”

A pause.

“I’m not...” 

“ _No_? You’re _not_ running? I may be dumb but I’m not stupid, Tess. Even if it’s from the law or something else, there is _someone_ out there you don’t want finding you. Am I wrong?”

She met his gaze, searched his face, defiance on the tip of her tongue.

“You said you _trusted_ me. Remember?” he continued. 

Lungs suddenly ceasing all operation, she flinched at the words. 

She did. She remembered seriously debating her answer _and_ his sanity but she ultimately knew she could trust him.

Tessa remained still, distantly aware of an acute pressure building inside of her. 

“So. What? It was just that one time? News flash. You can’t pick and choose, Tess. It doesn’t work like that. You either do or don’t.”

Steve groaned, running his hands through his hair as he turned away. 

“ _Jesus_. Fucking Nancy all over again,” he mumbled more to himself than her.

She watched him as he faced the car and put his hands on the hood. 

“ _I can’t_ ,” she whispered, more to herself than anything else. 

As if he’d heard her, Steve spun around to watch her closely. He never said a word. Only stood there scrutinizing her movements. 

“I have to go,” she said quietly. 

“Where? _Where_ are you going to go?”

She refused to give in to him. 

“I don’t know, Steve. I’ll figure it out.”

He sucked at his teeth before letting out a derisive chuckle. 

“Right. Because Tessa Hughes is the only person capable of figuring things out.”

“You don’t even know me!”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

For the second time, in as little as 24 hours, she found herself questioning his sanity. 

“Come on, Tess. Can we please just talk about this in the car?”

She didn’t move a muscle. Though she could feel the chill of the autumn settling in. 

“Look. _No_. I apparently _don’t_ know the life facts of Tessa Hughes. Or whatever you want to call yourself,” he said, waving the point away. “But, you can’t spend months getting to know someone and not get the fundamentals.”

She stiffened, not at all prepared for the turn the argument was taking. 

“Fundamentals?”

“Yeah. _Fundamentals_.”

Tessa resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the word kept getting repeated.

“Okay. _Listen_. Tommy told me one time that every really good lie has some kind of truth to it. And _you know_...?” he said, shrugging, hands in the air. “He isn’t wrong. He’s an asshole. But he isn’t wrong.” 

“And you think you’ve figured out the ‘truth’ in my lies?”

“It’s easy when you know what to look for.”

“Alright. Fine.”

She was beyond ready to shoot him down and end this argument. Florence had allowed her to make a call while the rest argued over what to do about her. Tessa had used it to book a room at a motel, preparing herself to start over again. She needed to shake off Harrington before anything could happen, however, and he had his heels dug in deep. 

“Okay, for instance, your enthusiasm. Sure you can fake it for the big stuff but...those little random spikes of energy you get when you’ve found something?” he said, taking a step towards her. “Some little weird fact or idea that you hadn’t known. You’ll act like you’ve discovered the most brilliant and exciting thing and...you want to _everyone_ in on the secret. No matter how stupid it is. I just don’t think you can fake that.”

Whatever she had expected, it wasn’t this. She shivered. Whether it be from his words or the cold, she remained stationary, waiting for him to continue. 

“Or, okay, you and _touching_.”

“Touching.”

Her brow raised. 

“Yeah. You don’t like it. Obviously. I think that’s more because you know you’re guilty but...”

He didn’t even falter at her flinch but pressed on. 

“When you _do_ let it happen, it‘s because it means something.”

He sighed. 

“You eat your sides before your entree. You try to tell jokes but forget all the punch lines. If there is a dog anywhere near you, everyone within in a fucking ten mile radius will know. You clean when you’re stressed and doodle when you’re thinking. You say hello or smile to everyone whether you know them or not and...”

“Steve.”

“I’m not done.”

“Okay. But you’ve made your point.”

“I just don’t think you’re lying all the time and I definitely don’t think it’s because you’re a bad person.”

“ _Steve_...”

“Will you get in the car now? I know for a fact that jacket was not made for actual warmth.”

Her gaze flickered to the beemer idling behind him. For a long moment, she contemplated her options. 

“ _Are you actually serious right now_?” he asked incredulously. 

She needed to cut ties and run. Needed to get as far away from this place and the attachments she’s formed as soon as possible. 

“Take me to the Starlight.”


	8. He Had A Gun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been another hot minute since I posted a chapter! Life has been tough but we all must carry on. This chapter is quick but sets everything up for what’s to come. More coming real soon!

“This is ridiculous.”

Steve sat in the car facing the motel, hands clenching the steering wheel, while Tessa fumbled in her pockets beside him. 

“Whether it’s ridiculous or not,” she said, twisting in the seat to check the various compartments of the jacket she wore. “It’s my decision and...”

“Tessa, look at this place!” he exclaimed, motioning towards the building. “You pay by the _hour_. That doesn’t bother you?”

“No. Because I shouldn’t need more than a few to do what I need to...” 

She was growing more and more frustrated with her search. His scoff reverberated throughout the car, making his thoughts on the subject very clear. 

“Well, let’s hope Sammy Sleaze puts out cause you only had two twenties on hand...”

Tessa froze and narrowed her eyes on Steve as he sat glaring at the dilapidated building. 

“Steve.”

He blinked, realizing his error, and sucked in his lips. He kept his eyes trained forward, locked on the flickering vacancy sign in the window.

“Steven Leslie Harrington.”

_That_ broke his concentration. He turned to face her, an incredulous expression wreathing his features. 

“I never told you my...”

“Dustin.”

“I’ll kill him.”

“Not if I kill you first. Give me my money back.”

He sighed, resuming his glare at the building. 

“Steve,” Tess said bitingly. 

The teen scoffed and rolled his eyes, motioning at the glove compartment in front of her. 

“I didn’t steal it. I just temporarily hid it...somewhere else. For safety, of course.”

Tess didn’t say a word, reaching into the compartment to grab the envelope of cash. She stuffed it in her jacket pocket and opened the passenger door. 

“Can’t we talk about this?” he asked, leaning on his own open door as he watched her round the front of his car. 

“No.” 

“Tessa, please. I didn’t mean to...”

“I’m not getting into this with you, Steve. I have to go. I have to figure this out on my own and I can’t do that with you hovering. I’ll call you when I’m done. Just go home.”

With that, she made her way into the lobby. 

——

Key in hand, Tessa worked her way down the dingy corridor of the motel. It was nearing late afternoon and the shadows were just beginning to creep across the parking lot, signaling her lack of time. 

“134, 135, and, finally, 136...”

She slipped the key in the door and turned, taking a deep breath of the fresh air before crossing the threshold into the musty odors of six minute sex, sloppy drug highs and a half assed cleaning job. 

“Fuck.” 

Closing the door behind her, Tessa shrugged off her jacket and settled into the rickety chair at the table by the window. She pulled the complimentary pad of paper towards her and set to writing. 

Not ten minutes into her list, there was a loud banging at the door.

“Steve, I swear to god,” she called, not moving from her place at the table. “I already told you I’m not...”

“ _Hey! Hey you! Yeah! Beat it! She’s not..._ ”

She frowned at the very distinctive but far off sound of Steve’s voice. If he wasn’t at her door then who...? 

Tessa stood and reached for the knob, opening it only to just barely avoid being bowled over. She glanced out and found Steve, all around athlete Steve, pacing in front of the fence, his hands on his head as he tried to catch his breath. 

“What...?”

His attention jerked around to her at the sound of her voice. 

“Who and/or what the fuck are you running from,” he asked, still breathing heavily as he approached her, pointing in the direction of the fence. “Because he had a _**gun**_ , Tess. A gun that he was ready to shoot.”


	9. This Was The End

Tessa paced in front of the bay window of Steve’s living room.

Her self-proclaimed protector hadn’t said much since she’d explained her situation. He’d just nodded, drove her back to his house and told her that Dustin needed him.

That was yesterday.

Today, she was left pacing and biting her nails as she waited for them to return from their “errands”.

But it was nearing sundown and they had been gone for what felt like ages.

Tessa knew it wasn’t smart to leave the house. The Harrington’s had the most up-to-date home security installed and there was someone trying to hurt her.

But her mind wouldn’t stop going over all the scenarios where Dustin and Steve had gotten hurt, in an accident, kidnapped or, even worse, were somewhere lying in a ditch with no one the wiser.

She huffed, grabbed her keys and headed for the beat up and burned through jalopy. The poor thing had barely made it back to the Harrington driveway from her old house. Steve was supposed to help her sell it for parts and find something in working order but...

“Come on, baby,” she cooed as her hand hovered on the key in the ignition. “Work one more time for me. It’s important.”

She whooped as the engine turned over and, while not purring, it wasn’t exactly spluttering either.

“Please be safe,” Tessa whispered as she backed down the driveway.

———

It had been at least an hour with no sign of Steve or Dustin. Mrs. McGarrett had seen them at the butchery which was peculiar in and of itself but it hadn’t been as peculiar as the purchase Peter Mulhaney told her they’d made.

Two buckets of scrap meat. Buckets. Full of raw and mostly inedible cuts of meat.

She was already on edge. She finally found Steve’s car abandoned on the side of the road and parked hers behind it.

It was dark. Her worst fears circled her mind, on repeat, as she fumbled in her glove compartment for the flashlight stowed there.

Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay.

She was almost frantic now. Pushing herself out of her car, she shone the light on the bumper of the beemer. Looking for any signs that they had been hurt.

She called out for either boy only to receive no answer.

Heart beating a mile a minute, she carefully walked up beside the car and glanced inside. She sighed, knowing she wasn’t out of the woods yet but that they had at least not died right there in the car on the side of the road.

But that left the question. Where were they?

She shone the light on the tree line, illuminating the tracks just beyond.

It was a terrible, terrible idea. In fact, if Steve were there, he’d tell her JUST how terrible and stupid it was.

But he wasn’t there and that was part of the problem.

So, Tessa set out, determined to find him and his middle schooler.

She really didn’t have anything to go on but she imagined that if they had willingly gone off on this adventure, Dustin, being the more logical of the two, would choose to follow the train tracks to give them some kind of path back.

She walked for, what felt like a good ten minutes, calling out every now and then, only to be met with silence.

“They’re probably off charting stars or some such nonsense,” she grumbled, tripping on a loose plank. “They’re lounged about, eating a gigantic pizza and laughing about how stupid and emotional the new girl is...”

She came to a clearing, having not noticed the odd noises until they grew in number, and moved closer to get a better look.

Tessa stared in abject horror as she watched at least ten or fifteen of the same demon dogs from before tear into a barricaded school bus where very distinct childlike screams were echoing.

A branch cracked beneath her foot and at least two monstrous heads turned her way. Frozen solid, she waited. More heads turned until she heard a howl from behind her.

She was surrounded.

Each beast leapt from its position on the bus and raced towards her.

This was it. This was the end. 


End file.
